My Personal Finance Blog » Bottom Line

Are Mutual Funds Good Investments For 2011 and Beyond?

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:45:59 +0000

The best mutual funds have been good investments since the 1970s and many will remain so beyond the year 2011. The secret to finding the best funds is to get a handle on the best fund companies: ones that offer good investments from the INVESTOR’S point of view.

Mutual funds haven’t changed all that much in the past 40 years. In 2011 and beyond some will still be good investments, and there will still be 4 basic types to choose from: money market, bond, stock and hybrid types that represent a combination of the other three. The difference between then and now: more fund companies competing with a confusing number of alternatives and cost structures. What hasn’t changed is that all fund companies make money when you invest with them. Some just make more than others.

From the investor’s point of view the best funds have a low cost of investing. In terms of performance, you can’t pick the best funds in any of the 4 categories year in and year out. None of the fund companies stand head and shoulders above the rest as money managers. But you can find good investments by cutting costs; and this directly improves your bottom line – and profits. Avoid loads, which are sales charges and can amount to 5.75% off the top for stock funds. For a $10,000 investment $575 can go to pay for the cost of selling the investment. Such funds may be good investments from the salesman’s point of view, but not so if you are the investor.

The good news is that some of the biggest and best fund companies for 2011 and going forward got that way by offering good service and funds directly to the public at low cost. These fund companies offer NO-LOAD funds, which means that there are NO sales charges. You invest $10,000 or any amount and all of your money goes to work for you. Vanguard, Fidelity, T Rowe Price and American Century have been offering the public low-cost good investments for many years.

In your search for the best funds at low cost you will also want to look for those with low EXPENSE RATIOS, because ALL FUNDS charge your account for expenses year in and year out. If the expense ratio is 2.00, for example, a fund will take $200 from an investment worth $10,000 for yearly expenses. High expenses might represent good investments for salesmen or fund companies… but certainly not from your point of view as the investor.

Simply put, mutual funds are good investments for most people because they manage a diversified portfolio of securities for their investors. Few folks have the time or ability to do this themselves. But why pay big bucks for their services when you can find some very good funds with some of the best fund companies in the business? Now let’s zero in on these low-cost funds.

First, we’re looking for funds with NO upfront sales charges or loads. You can find them by searching the internet for “no-load funds”. Second, we want a low expense ratio… the lower the better. Data for every fund shows sales charges and expenses, this info is not a secret; it is just overlooked by the average investor. Third, to qualify as good investments, stock and bond funds need to perform in line with their benchmark. If you can find fund companies that have funds that meet all three of our criteria, you’ve found some good investment options for 2011 and the future.

The good news here is that these good investments can be found in the short list of fund companies I gave you earlier in the form of INDEX FUNDS. They are low cost because they have no sales loads and low yearly management expenses… because they simply invest to track their appropriate index… which IS their benchmark. This same index or benchmark is used as the standard for all similar funds with similar objectives. The difference is that other funds with a high cost of investing often under perform this same benchmark.

Looking at 2011 and into the future, average investors can put the numbers in their favor by simply investing in good investments offered by some of the best fund companies in America: no-load index funds.

The Beauty Of Natural Stone!

admin — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 18:10:23 +0000

The beauty Natural Stone can be found through all times and era’s! Romans used Natural Stone products to enhance there living in many different ways.

You can travel back to Egyptian times when the Pharaohs where still around and mask at the wonders they produced with Natural Stone products.

The bottom line is that Natural Stone products are a sign on class and dignity.

Quality Home Renovations and Improvements always recommend Natural stone products to our home owners and business people alike just because it raises the value of there home and beautifies there surroundings.

I Just love walking into a nice office that has used natural stone products, it gives a nice warm feeling and a sense of class to the business owners knowing that they care about the environment they work in.

For all you business mind owners trying to bring your business to the next level think about your clients. If they come to your office you wish they feel comfortable while there waiting. A happy customer generates mre income and keeps them coming back.

It provides them with a peace of mind knowing they are dealing with a firm or company that has some class.

As for the workers they can tell everybody that they work for a company that really cares about them and there clients. At least it will look the part. Think of walking into a high priced law firm. Would you spend $300-up an hour if they didn’t look the part. They might be the best Law firm on the market but if they don’t look it they are not worth it in my opinion.

Demanding big money you need to show a little class and Natural Stone products through-out the business makes for a better approach to all your clients, and of course your staff.

This is something you should think about the next time you are planning a renovation project. Adding a little natural here and there will make the difference in your clientele enabling you to charge more!

As for the average home owner there is nothing that can raise the value of the home more than a good quality Natural Stone Product.Think about it for just a couple of minutes, and you will soon realize that natural stone is the best and only option.

If your trying to sell your home faster having some natural stone products install will turn the average home into a golden gem.

If your interested in doing some Natural Stone work in your home or office visit our website at http://www.homerenovationsniagara.webs.com we love to travel and we love Natural Stone!

Use printed first aid kits to promote service and provide an impetus to your bottom-line

admin — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:16:07 +0000

Article by Abraham Sherman

Gifting printed first aid to your consumers serve cause of the purpose that you are well prepared for any kind of situation and customers just love to deal with such kind of organization.

Using promotional first aid is considered among most influencing advertising campaign as a preferred tool for organizations. Today almost everybody may need first box at point of time and most of the people like to keep that first aid kits always with themselves. You can also choose this first kit as a promotional tool which is easy to choose from. Besides you can also ask for customized printed first kits wherein you can get name of your company or any particular product or service printed on that kit. Using first kits creates the most touching influence on an individual as in case of dire need that person just remembers your name and afterwards when he thinks that it was your kit which helped him in his health situations. He not just thanks you but also connect with you for lifetime. Most of the recipients of your gift are sure to use these techniques being provided by this company. However utmost care should be taken for the purpose of gifting this first aid box. After using first aid box your recipient would just appreciate your gift.

You can choose from among variety of these first aid kits which are just available as per the specific requirements. In case you want personalized first kits you need to go in for printed first aid for which you can just get name printed of your company, hospital or any service which you may deem fit. There are frequent discounted offers and schemes on which a considerable discount is offered. These promotional first aid come in a variety of options which can be selected as per your budget requirement. There has been consistent demand of customized first aid kits which are most effective methods to create positive impression of your business organization. There are specific first aid kits like 10 piece first aid kits, 20 piece first kits. These kits contain all essential facilities like band aid, thermometer, general tablets, scissors etc. which are the foremost requirement for any individual in case of health related problem like illness, headache or accident etc. If you gift these first kits it is generally perceived by your customers that you are well prepared for anything. This has a common perception among people that they like to deal with the company which is always prepared for any kind of best or worst situation. Keeping in advantage of these gifts these kits are handy to carry, and cost effective as well.

Data Safety: The Importance of Back-Ups

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:45:41 +0000

People can be strange creatures, regardless of how many times you warn them about a risk, they will still go their own way until it finally goes wrong! Only then do they realize what you’ve been cautioning them about.

One fine example of this, is making backups of your documents, e-mail, music, pictures and other files. I myself, someone who should know better, has made the mistake of underestimating the risks of not having a backup and losing critical data. One of my most important duties at my job, is guaranteeing the safety of the organisations data, by making daily backups and replicating data to other physical locations using costly equipment intended for this job.This process is safeguarded by procedures and automated to a level that human involvement isn’t always required.

In your private life or in small businesses the situation is different, you’re always in a hurry or busy working your small business and backups tend to be forgotten about. Particularly when you’re location independent and you work from anywhere, you’re not always up to date with your backups due to practical reasons.

This might have severe consequences for your organization. Imagine you had 20 clients last month, all with different purchases and you recorded all invoice data in your accounting software. Before you sent the invoices, you decide to go on a trip for a few days and when you come back, your computer is stolen or your accounting software database is virus ridden. If you can’t access your invoice data, can you recollect all specifics of the 20 customers and create new invoices? You can guess, but what happens if you think you worked 20 hours for the client, and they know that you merely worked 10? I don’t think that client is going to be rendering your services anymore. Bottom line: you will lose money! Either by losing customers or by working overtime to make up for the lost data.

Maybe you make use of hosted (accounting) software and depend upon your vendor to create backups! I like to recommend that you inquire if they have a service level agreement (SLA) for guaranteeing dependable backups that you can access at all times. Because what is the use of a backup if you can’t access and restore it when you want?

I’m sure everybody made this kind of mistake once or twice and misplaced an essential document and brought on a lot of stress:) Generally this is caused by too much optimism: “This won’t happen to me, I know what I’m doing, so I don’t need backups” or it is caused by a lack of knowledge or skills to make a backup. Primary reasons of data-loss:

Harddisk/hardware failure (Yes and this also occurs with new computers!) Accidentally overwritten a document (by older version) Accidentally deleted a file or folder AND emptied the Recycle Bin Laptop gets stolen Personal computer gets infected by a malware and an “IT uncle” gets rid of the infections as well as your data! Files get corrupted by a crashing computer program or operating system and so on

My advice is as follows:

For personal use I would suggest:

Backup your important files using an online backup service, like Sugarsync, Mozy or Dropbox If you have large amounts of data, buy an external USB drive or NAS that includes good backup software Schedule a backup daily or weekly otherwise steps 1 and 2 are almost useless.

For business use I would suggest to talk to a local IT shop for advice. The costs of a backup solution don’t compare to the costs of data loss!

Ebook Marketing: -create a Separate Landing Page on Your Website for Marketing Ebooks

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:44:05 +0000

No one can deny the popularity of the ebook in today’s fast paced Internet Society. In fact, they are more popular than ever before. Businesses of all types and sizes around the world are using them to increase their visibility and their bottom line without increasing the amount of money coming out of their budgets. Article marketing produces the highest quality of leads that you can produce. You establish yourself as an expert in your field and this creates trust and credibility. Leads from articles convert 10 times better than leads from other sources. Write articles related to your niche and submit them to the top article directories like EzineArticles. You can also look for ezine newsletters which accept articles and submit your articles to these. Here are two ways to increase your Ebook profits, both of which you can incorporate immediately:

1. Giving It ‘All’ Away

Believe it or not one of the quickest ways to realize ebook profits is to give away ebooks to your potential customers. The idea is a simple one; give them just enough information or entertainment so as to leave them wanting for more and for more details visit to www.newbies-copywriting.com then provide them with a link to the direct purchase page for the full length version of the digital book there enjoying. This idea is not new but it is tremendously effective.

You can use these free products as a giveaway opt-in bait to build your list of subscribers. This is how many successful marketers build their lists!

2. Article Marketing for Ebook Profits

Yet another simple, cost effective and quite speedy way to increase your ebook profits is to make use of the many free article directories that are available all over the Internet. By writing and submitting articles to these directories you are able to gain credibility and help to establish yourself as an expert in your particular field. These article directory sites allow you to include a byline that contains both your name and for more details visit to www.perfect-ghostwriter.com a link to your website where interested readers may find more information on you and possibly move on to purchase your Ebook. Article marketing is one of the best ways to get free traffic on demand.

3. The Unlikely Advertiser

Create a separate landing page on your website for marketing ebooks and then create a 125×125 pixel ad for the book. Make it good and if you can’t do it yourself, hire it out. Then sign up for Entrecard and follow through the steps to get started there. It is dreadfully simple to use this site and the best part is that it is free. Entrecard also brings in a lot of traffic and anyone will tell you that higher numbers will eventually result in higher sales.

Marketing ebooks doesn’t take a salesman, it simply takes someone who knows their product, believes in their product and can relate that to their target audience. Stop selling and start telling!

http://www.ebook-author-interview.com

http://www.ebook-secrets-revealed.com

Can You Really Pay to Repair a Bad Credit Score?

admin — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:13:18 +0000

You have probably seen commercials at one time or another that offer to eliminate your bad credit score. Usually they require that you pay a hefty sum of money before they begin eliminating the problem. They may promise to raise your score in as little as 30 days and have you qualified for the loan of your dreams. But, can anyone really wipe out a bad credit score?

Well, you cannot pay someone to magically eliminate your credit score for you. Many people have found out the hard way that these companies are just a scam. These companies will request money even before they have looked at your credit report. These types of companies may try to persuade you to create a new credit identity. This is actually illegal and while your bad credit will be erased, you will more than likely find yourself spending time in prison or paying back a hefty fine.

The bottom line is that no one can wave a wand and erase your bad credit score. If you want that number erased, then you are going to have to do some work yourself to improve your credit score. Some things that you can do to improve your score are as followed. It may be hard work, but it is something you should certainly try to do to better your credit.

Look for inaccuracies in your credit report. It doesn’t take a whole lot to send your credit score plummeting. If you find a problem in your credit report, immediately report it to the consumer reporting company. Make sure that you are not sending original documents, only copies. This is because any document you send them will not be returned. Be sure that each item in question is clearly identified so there will not be any confusion. Once your information is processed and the correct businesses are contacted, your credit score will then be investigated. If they do identify that there is a problem with the items in question, they will fix them or sometimes erase them from your report, but only if there is a problem. It is always recommended that you keep a copy of all the disputes that you may file.

Debt consolidation can greatly improve your credit score. If your credit score is lowering because you are unable to pay off debt and you are considering filing for bankruptcy, don’t do it. Working with your credit company and consolidating your debt can have a major impact on your credit score. As a matter of fact, many companies see this as being more responsible than filing for bankruptcy. Debt consolidation basically lumps all of your unpaid bills into one monthly payment. This will make sure that everyone is getting money every time this payment is made.

Any company offering to erase your bad credit score is telling you a lie. They are either going to scam you or supply you with information that is freely available from consulting a credit counsellor. So, protect yourself and do you research before signing on with anything that seems shady.

James Copper is a writer for http://www.repossession-stopper.co.uk where you can find hints to prevent repossession

Interested In Earning Money Online With Paid Surveys ? Here Are The Very Best!

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:32:12 +0000

OK, by now everyone should realize that free online surveys are legitimate and earning money online with them is very realistic. That is a fact and there is absolutely no two ways about it. Bottom line is people can actually earn some nice extra income from home by filling out these surveys which ask your opinions and likes and dislikes about products, clothes, sleeping habits, diet, age etc.

I can personally attest to the fact that since last year I have found taking surveys it to be very rewarding and a great source in earning money online month in and month out. On a part time basis I have averaged well over $200 a month for just a few hours of work. I have completed Surveys from $1 all the way up to $125! The $125 free paid survey took me only 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete. Not too bad, huh?

However, I must let you know that my journey was not easy to begin with. I spent the first weeks joining over 100 of these Surveys Sites. Many were scams and not worth even opening up an account with. Others were very questionable as they disguised themselves as free, but then I got to the page where you actually had to pay a fee to get a list of other survey sites and surveys. I must stress that you should NEVER in anyway pay for a list of Surveys or Survey Sites. Its an outright scam and stay far away from them.

After going through many Survey Sites and joining them and taking countless surveys, I found a handful that I deemed as the cream of the crop. These are the ones that I continue to receive surveys from and make free money online with. And most importantly I am actually earning money online with them and receive hard cold cash from these companies.

So without further ado here is my Top 5 Surveys Sites for earning money online with. Anyone wanting to make free cash online today needs to check them out. I’ve also included a brief description for each.

1. Globaltestmarket – This is my Top survey site. They pay on average of $3 to $10 Surveys. Its easy to build up cash with them. And they even pay you $.50 just for attempting to qualify for a Survey regardless if you don’t!

2. Opinionoutpost – Oh me. This survey site is right up there with Global Test. They have really the highest free paid surveys. Just completed one for $15. I love them!

3. LightspeedPanel – You get a lot of surveys from this Company. They are a little less in pay than the other two. But make up in the number you get from them.

4. Your2cents – This is a mainstay for me. Just when I forget about them they send me a nice paying survey. I have received a lot of checks from them.

5. IPSOS – This is one of the oldest and most reliable survey sites around. A must join.

Bonus- These last two are just right outside my Top 5, and I decided at the last minute they had to be included!

Cashcrate – This is a Survey and Offer Site. Many people refer to it as a GPT Site (get paid to). I like it because you can fill out two daily surveys each and everyday.

HCDSurveys – The great thing about this survey site is that they administer short political surveys. And it only takes like 2 minutes to complete these. Great fast free cash!

So that concludes this brief look into Paid online surveys and some of the top ones that I personally have had much success with in earning money online with. I hope you have come away with some knowledge and tools to enable you to make extra money with surveys. It’s really up to you how much money you want to make. The more quality survey sites that you join and participate in the more money you will make. PERIOD! So keep the wheels spinning

Obama’s 2009 Stimulus Package May Benefit You This Year

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:31:45 +0000

review your personal finaces this year, you may want to take the time to see if the Obama administration’s 2009 stimulus package can personally help your bottom line. As the country’s economy teetered on the edge of a collapse, the administration focused on stimulating the economy in both the housing and the car market – areas which suffered the biggest hits.

There are many who may be able to benefit from the changes brought by the stimulus package this year to the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Last year there was a tax credit of $7500.00. This credit was saddled with a requirement that called for taxpayers to make annual repayments over a 15 year period. Now the first-time homebuyer tax credit has increased to $8000.00. The best part is that there is now no repayment is neccessary. One must stay in the home for at least three months after purchase. If one should buy another home or use a different residence as their primary home, they will have to repay the credit. Those who purchased their home in 2008 may file an amended return in 2009. Those who purchase a home in 2009 can take advantage of the credit, as long as the home is purchased prior to filing their tax return.

There is also good news in the 2009 stimulus package for car buyers. Those who buy a car this year may realize a tax benefit and may also deduct the sales tax from their return. So if you are in the market for a new car, you may want to go ahead and take advantage of these tax breaks this year.

For tips and facts about how you can benefit from Obama’s Home Stimulus Plan – or to find out if you qualify, visit our no nonsense home stimulus guide: http://ObamasStimulusPackage.net